Istalríreona
by Metylizer
Summary: When Eragon and his friend, Keyno, find two vials in an underground catacomb filled with dragon blood, their lives take a drastic turn. In what direction, Keyno isn't sure yet, but maybe his dragon can help him answer that. (OCxOC focus, ExS; Rated M for Sexual Themes/References)


**Guess who's not dead? Me! Sorry for the long wait in Tales, so here's this I.C. oneshot for waiting for both T.t.A. and a new smut. Hope you enjoy it more than the Christmas oneshot; still not my best writing. And thanks to Autcon for betareading this for me; you're awesome, buddy!**

_M_

Istalríreona.

That's what they called Him. The name meant Flame Reaper in the Ancient Language, a name they had given Him with very good reason. Ever since the day He was born, He'd always had a talent for fire, whether it be with starting one while stranded out in the Spine or forging His own weapon: His scythe. He didn't know why He was drawn to the weapon, but something about it was just appealing to Him. So, at the age of fifteen, He forged His own scythe from an old sword and staff He found lying around His father's house under the careful eye of Horst, the village blacksmith. Not long after crafting the weapon, He had learned that His best friend, Eragon, had become a Dragon Rider. He consulted Brom, the village storyteller, and the two approached Him on the topic, but the boy denied any allegations. Afterwards, Eragon's uncle, Garrow, was murdered in cold blood by the Ra'zac, and, after a few preparations, Eragon, Brom, and He began their journey alongside Saphira, Eragon's dragon. On the road, He'd had many interesting, thought-provoking conversations with the young azure dragoness, and He found that He liked her company.

That's when He found it.

They had been close to the Varden, already within the Beor Mountains, when He found another dragon egg, a crimson one. What hatched out of it had decided on the name Juviel. After she hatched, He cared for her, tended for her, even protected her from Urgals when she was too young to do so herself during the attack on Farthen Dûr. After that, Saphira personally tutored her in the ways of a dragon. At least… until they got to Ellesmera. There, both were shown the ways of the dragon by Glaedr as He and Eragon were trained by Oromis, the Cripple Who Is Whole. Actually, Oromis tutored Eragon more than He, since He seemed to know a lot of this stuff, so He and Oromis just talked a lot of the time. Until Eragon was summoned back to the Varden. As his duty to Nasuada required him to do, He took his leave early while He remained in Ellesmera with the elves, taking the time to strengthen His powers.

Then, He once again found something that changed His life.

He first heard a voice calling His name while He was talking to Juviel, but He ignored it at first. As time went on, however, the voice grew ever more insistent until He gave in after three days of hearing it in His head. When He followed the directions it gave Him, He found Himself in a cave where He was shown to His new scythe, since His old one broke in the fight with Durza at Tronjheim. He didn't know why, He didn't know how, but He took it, the sword, and the mask that came with them and returned to Ellesmera, before He told His mentor what He found. Oromis was surprised by this and explained the legend of Skulblakaven, or Dragon Sight.

In the middle of Oromis' explanation of what he knew about Dragon Sight, Ellesmera was attacked, and Oromis and Glaedr didn't come out of the sudden assault alive. Of course, Eragon had arrived just in time to see them cut down by Murtagh and Thorn, which threw Him into a frenzy. He attacked Murtagh for all He was worth while Eragon kept the Empire's forces off His back, allowing Him to focus only on Murtagh. Unfortunately, both Murtagh and Thorn got away, but not before Thorn and Juviel went at it for a couple minutes, leaving Juviel covered in Thorn's blood, which was what forced the Empire to fall back. After that, they started calling her Blödskular more often than they already did because of her dark red scales. Strangely enough, however, she was never prideful and often very humble about the elves giving her this nickname. After the funeral for Oromis and Glaedr, they joined Eragon in going back to the Varden, who welcomed them all with fervor. From there, they went with Glaedr's Eldunarí to Vroengard and discovered the multiple other Eldunarí, along with eggs. This gave them all hope as they rode back quickly to the Varden and, after some pushing, started to prepare a final assault on Urû'baen. The battle was long and hard fought, but they eventually won with the defeat of the king and, despite the words of both Angela and Elva, and with a lot of difficulty, saved Shruikan, who shrunk to Juviel's size when he was freed of Galbatorix's hold over him; Saphira was still taller than both of them by then. Of course, Eragon got a lot of the credit for this, but that doesn't mean Istalríreona was overlooked. By then, He'd earned His nickname, His flaming silver scythe, Argetandlát, or Silver Death in the common tongue, being seen constantly in battle, as well as the mask, which was a basic white mask crafted out of bone. He'd given His sword to Murtagh before he and Thorn ventured far into the North as a gift of both farewell and well wishes. Now, He and Eragon, along with the dragons, were on the biggest journey of all: the journey overseas aboard the Taltia. The wooden ship had been reconstructed to accommodate two dragons, so both Saphira and Juviel were allowed to travel with them.

'_Are we there yet?'_

And travel they did. Though with a lot of complaining on Juviel's part.

'_Peace, My Love,'_ her Rider told her.

What was her Rider's name, you may ask?

'_But Keyno…' _Juviel whined.

'_No buts, Juv,' _he told her firmly.

Juviel snorted and turned her head away from him with an indignant look on her face.

Currently, they were sailing along a river that lead into deep woodlands in the night with only the moon as a guide. Both were sad to leave Alagaësia, but they knew it was for the better; after all, not much had been left for them besides Shruikan, who Juviel had become good friends with since his rescue, and their other friends they had made along the way. Still, though, they didn't mind leaving them when it was for the betterment of Alagaësia. The same could not be said for Eragon or Saphira, however; both had fallen into depression since leaving. They could understand Saphira being down in the dumps, since she left the only male dragon she had a chance with. Eragon, however, was leaving a she-elf that had rejected his advances time and time again and pretty much denounced his feelings before they left, and Keyno didn't get it.

'_Are you thinking about Eragon again?'_ Juviel asked him.

'_Yeah,'_ Keyno admitted. He stood up and started pacing as he went off on another rant. '_I just don't get it, Juv; he doesn't have anything to be sad about. He left an elf who pretty much took his feeling, crumbled them into a little ball, burned them, and buried the ashes. Would you still love someone if they did that to you?'_

'_You know I made a vow to you,'_ Juviel told him.

It was indeed true; after their return to the Varden, they made a vow to each other never to take on a mate or wife for fear of driving each other apart.

'_I know, but let's say you hadn't made that vow,'_ Keyno said.

Juviel thought for a moment before saying, '_I wouldn't.'_

'_Exactly! And yet Eragon still loves Arya!'_ Keyno collapsed against Juviel, sliding down her flank with a long, drawn-out groan.

As he did this, Juviel said, '_If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you yourself were in love with Eragon.'_

This wasn't the first time she teased him about this; whenever he went off on tangents like this about Eragon, she would alway find some way to squeeze in there that he loved Eragon as more than a brother. While they weren't blood brothers, the thought was still revolting to him and would no doubt be to Eragon as well.

Keyno had long since become used to her teasing, though, and it had no effect. '_I just don't get it; you know I go off about things I don't understand,'_ he reminded her.

Juviel rumbled underneath him in amusement. '_What say we take a flight to clear your mind of nonsense?'_ she asked.

Keyno huffed but agreed, saddling up Juviel with practiced ease and taking off, leaving the ship uninhabited save for the elves, Eragon and Saphira having gone ahead to scout the path. Keyno and Juviel, however, flew in the other direction, the latter snagging a nice-sized buck on the way and eating midair. After that, they flew on for a time, relaxing at the feeling and letting their minds meld together as they enjoyed the sense of euphoria flight often caused them. By now, Keyno had relaxed and sat on his back against a large spike in between Juviel's wings.

'_Keyno…'_ a voice whispered.

Keyno snapped his eyes open and shot up into a sitting position. He'd heard that voice twice before, once when leading him to Juviel's egg and once when leading him to the weapons wielded by those with Skulblakaven.

'_What is it?'_ Juviel asked from below him.

'_I heard it again,'_ he told her.

Juviel knew what he meant the minute he said "heard."

'_Where?'_ she asked him.

'_Just southeast of here, not far,'_ Keyno told her.

Juviel banked hard to the right and nearly turned around, heading more inland as Keyno thought: what could possibly be awaiting him in this new, strange land? Why had he heard the voice again in this new land? Surely it had to be of Alagaësian origin! So why here? Why now when his friendship with Eragon was rocky? He thought of all the possibilities while Juviel flew towards where he heard the voice, though unlike last time, he didn't hear it again until he was right on top of it.

'_Keyno….'_

'_Juviel, land!'_ he said urgently.

Juviel instantly dove at a ninety-degree angle and was on the forest ground within five seconds. From there, Keyno dismounted her as she started sniffing around for something, but it seemed like nothing was there; it was all forest for as far as the eye could see. Then, a mass of blue scales in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He turned and saw Saphira dive and land as quickly as Juviel had moments ago, Eragon atop her.

"Eragon," Keyno greeted, surprise evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you," Eragon said, his voice stoic and monotonous.

"Well I asked first!" Keyno challenged playfully.

Eragon dismounted Saphira as the blue-scaled dragon greeted Juviel dejectedly. Unlike with Eragon, Keyno legitimately felt bad for her, since she had a good reason to act this way. He sighed and turned back to Eragon as the teen gave his answer.

"I followed a voice that led me here," Eragon told him simply.

"A voice?" Keyno gasped. He turned to Juviel, whose shock mirrored his, and they both turned back towards Eragon. Privately, Keyno asked Juviel, '_Do you think he has Skulblakaven?'_

'_Possibly,'_ Juviel said. '_It's hard to pick out those things from looks alone, but he might have it.'_

"What's so important about a voice?" Eragon asked impatiently. "It's not like I haven't heard it before."

This left both Keyno and Juviel speechless. Immediately, both of their jaws dropped, which would've looked comical on Juviel had the situation been different.

Keyno turned to Juviel and said, '_He_ definitely _has Skulblakaven.'_

'_Indeed,'_ she replied.

Keyno took a step towards Eragon. "Eragon, you -" His foot caught something, making him stumble forward into Saphira. "Sorry," he said aloud, getting only a nod in response. He looked back to where he tripped and saw a slight crease in the ground. Intrigued, he moved towards it and said, "Reisa du deloi!"

Leaves and dirt alike lifted off the ground to reveal a stone slab that had likely been laying there for generations.

'_Juviel, Saphira, can you move this?'_ he asked them, seeing that it had a depth.

The two dragons moved on either side of the slab and got their claws under it before trying to lift it with leverage, grunting with the effort. Their arms shook with the weight of the slab, but they eventually managed to move it, revealing a dark room underneath.

"Garjzla!" Eragon uttered.

The room lit up to reveal a long hallway going under them, but they saw no signs of life or disturbance.

Keyno looked at Eragon and said, "Ladies first."

"After you," Eragon shot back.

Keyno laughed and dropped down without hesitation, slowing his fall with magic and landing on his feet nimbly thanks to his elven agility. Eragon soon followed suit.

Keyno held his hand out in front of him and muttered, "Garjzla, iet tauthr."

The light in the room flickered a bit as the magical hold on them changed, shifting from a bright white to a silvery gray.

"What is this place?" Eragon asked.

"You're seeing the same thing I am," Keyno replied, walking down the dark hall with Eragon in tow.

They walked until the path came to a junction, where they turned left. Soon, they came to another junction. And another. And another. Soon, it became apparent that this was a maze, and that they were now lost, Juviel and Saphira barely present in their minds.

"I think we're lost," Eragon stated bluntly.

"Oh, ya _think_?" Keyno chuckled.

No sooner after he said this did they come to a dead end with a plaque above the wall.

"State you true name and the word of power."

"You're kidding," Keyno muttered. "Is this the Ancient Language or another native to this land?"

"Only one way to find out," Eragon replied.

Both of them uttered their true names and said the name of the Ancient Language in sync, but after that, nothing happened.

Keyno huffed. "Knew it wouldn't wor -"

He was cut off by a loud hiss and a stream of white mist hitting them in the face as the wall in front of them backed up, revealing a hidden hallway that went to the right. Eragon only bore a smug look while Keyno grumbled and walked in the hallway, only to be greeted by a small room with two altars, both of them holding what looked like vials of blood. There was yet another plaque between them.

"Drink. It will make you strong and able for the ones you love most."

"The one I love most…" Eragon whispered.

Keyno almost muttered, "not this again," but held his tongue at the last second and decided to lightly probe Eragon's mind to see if he was jumping to conclusions. Upon brushing against his mind, he was surprised to see a mental image of Saphira and him riding into battle together, both of them ironclad and looking fierce as ever. Strangely enough, Keyno found himself in a different fantasy.

Both he and Juviel were overlooking a nest of eggs that was illuminated by the fire in the room, both of them smiling as he put a hand on her neck, making her purr and lean into his touch. Suddenly, he changed. Clothes turned to orange scales, hair turned to horns, and he saw himself as a dragon sitting next to Juviel. Somehow he knew that this wasn't a mere thought.

This was destiny.

Or so his instincts told him. Normally, his instincts saved his hide in a battle or led to him catching another spy in the Varden, but this was one time he knew his instincts were wrong. They'd been wrong before, and they were wrong now. Still… the idea of loving Juviel as more than his dragon was becoming more and more appealing the longer he held the image of him as a dragon in mind. Besides, it wasn't as if they hadn't discussed the prospect before. Still… it would be wrong, not only because she was a dragon, but because they'd both be breaking their oaths to each other never to take on a significant other.

Finally, his mind took a side and forced him to move towards the altar. He looked over and saw that Eragon was doing the same before focusing his attention on the vial he was moving towards. He grabbed it and lifted the cork free with a satisfying _pop!_ that everyone feels whenever they open something of the sorts. He looked to Eragon again and found that he had done the same.

"Bottoms up," he said, offering his vial out.

Eragon did the same before stopping as the two glass vials made a _clink!_ sound. After that, they both pulled back and downed the liquid. It was surprisingly bitter and made them drop the vials in response, which broke on impact with the stone floor. Keyno could feel the liquid get stuck in his chests, making it harder to breathe as it seeped through his esophagus and into his bloodstream, going straight for his heart. He felt the liquid move throughout his blood, taking the short journey to his heart, where it mixed in with the blood and caused pain to rack his body. He yelled out and fell to the ground, writhing in pain as the dragon's blood took its toll on him.

Instincts were definitely wrong this time.

He groaned before letting out an inhuman roar that joined with another and echoed throughout the dark halls of the catacombs they were in. Then, all went black.

_M_

'_Ugh… my head…'_ Keyno thought as he slowly came back to consciousness. He groaned and rolled over on his side, feeling the warm grass beneath him as the sun bathed his body with light and heat. When he opened his eyes, he had to blink a few times to get used to how bright the day was after being unconscious.

'_Hello?'_ he heard Juviel asked from his side.

'_Juviel…?'_ he asked weakly. '_What happened…?'_

'_Wait… Keyno?!'_

'_Not so loud, Juv…'_ Keyno groaned, closing his eyes to fend off the incoming headache.

'_H-how…?'_ she asked quietly.

'_What do you mean how?'_ Keyno questioned. '_Surely we didn't -'_

And that's when it hit him; he wasn't speaking physically, but rather mentally. But why? Why would he speak mentally when he could speak through his vocal cords? And since when was his voice so… masculine?

'_You don't know?'_ Juviel asked.

'_What happened to me…?'_ Keyno asked nervously.

Juviel was quiet for a moment, and he heard her shuffle her paws nervously for a second. '_W-well it's… kinda hard to explain….'_

'_Try,'_ Keyno told her.

Juviel sighed before letting him into her mind. Watching through her eyes, he saw a dragon lying there with fiery orange scales that faded into a blue underbelly and wing membranes. The tip of his tail had a bit of blue fluff, and the horns on his head were as white as the bone mask he often wore.

'_Who… who is that…?'_ he asked.

As he shifted to get up, he noticed that the dragon moved as well. When he groaned, he heard the dragon give a little sigh through Juviels' ears as it mirrored his movements exactly.

'_You,'_ she told him.

In a shocked frenzy, he returned to his own mind and looked down on himself to confirm and reassure himself that Juviel was playing a trick on him, and that the dragon was one that they had never before met. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. What was supposed to be black under-armor was now orange scales tipped with a bit of blue that got more prominent the farther down it went. He looked back on his body to see two wings jutting out from his back, the 'arms' the same color as his scales while the membranes shone azure like an ocean. After looking down on himself he noticed an appendage protruding from his posterior that wasn't there before. He quickly familiarized himself with it, and something told him that it was a tail. He moved it as if he had all his life and brought it in front of his face, where he was met with an orange tail tipped with tiny blue feathers.

'_I'm… I'm a… a…'_ Keyno stuttered, struggling to find the words.

'_A dragon,'_ Juviel finished for him.

Keyno's eyes went wide with panic as he jumped up to his feet and expertly bounded away from Juviel, only to get a faceful of tree.

'_This is gonna be a long day…'_ Juviel muttered to herself.

As soon as Keyno was back on his feet, they heard a loud roar come from somewhere near them, and another dragon landed in the clearing, this one with majestic blue scales that nearly matched Saphira's in tone. Speaking of Saphira, she landed right after the dragon and gave a comforting growl, only to get a whimper in response from the male, who collapsed with wide eyes full of fear.

Keyno and Juviel cautiously lowered the mental barriers they had unconsciously put up, only to get a roaring, '_I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A DRAGON, SAPHIRA!'_

It was Eragon's voice, leading Keyno to believe that whatever that blood was wasn't normal. It had done something… unnatural to them and left them as hybrid freaks.

'_Eragon, I -' _Saphira started.

She was cut off by Eragon roaring, '_NO! I DON'T WANT ANYMORE COMFORT! I WANT MY BODY BACK! I WANT TO BE HUMAN AGAIN! I WANT… I want… I just want to go home….'_

Then, just like that, Eragon, Shadeslayer, Kingkiller, future Head of the Dragon Riders, broke down in the middle of the clearing and started wailing, tears streaming from his blue eyes. It took all of them by surprise, but after a few seconds, they understood why, especially Keyno. He knew that Eragon was scared out of his mind right now, but he also knew how to conquer that fear, and that was to let someone in, even if it wasn't him. He had to strive to do the same.

'_Oh, little one…'_ Saphira sobbed, walking up to him and nuzzling his head with her own. '_Please… don't cry….'_

'_I don't know what's going on…'_ Eragon whimpered.

'_Neither do I,'_ Keyno whispered, making the other three turn to him. He lifted his paw up from the ground and examined it, finding that he still had opposable thumbs. He clenched and unclenched his hand twice before speaking again. '_What's happened happened, and we can't go back and change that. At least not yet. For now, we just have to deal with this.'_

'_How…?'_ Eragon whispered. '_How are we supposed to deal with… this…?'_ He pushed Saphira away and gestured to himself with his wings.

'_Find a way to cope with being a dragon,'_ Keyno told him.

'_How can I possible hope to cope with being something I'm not? I don't even have anyone who would understand me besides Saphira….'_

As soon as the words were uttered, realization appeared in Eragon's eyes. He knew no one would get what went through his head… besides the partner-of-his-heart-and-mind. How did Keyno know this? The exact same thing was going on inside his mind. He knew no one but Juviel had the ability to understand him, and even still she didn't escape that unscathed; as result of knowing how his mind worked, she acted like him a lot of the time, sometimes much to his pleasure, but other times, it was the bane of his existence.

'_Exactly,'_ Keyno told him. '_She's the only one who will ever understand you, just as Juviel understands me. Isn't that right, Juv?'_

'_It is,'_ Juviel replied, surprised in his change of perspective, but still happy for him nonetheless.

Eragon nodded, before sniffling and asking, '_Where's the Talita? I want to inform Master Blödhgarm and the Eldunarí of this.'_

'_We already know, young one,'_ came the voice of Glaedr in their minds, startling them all, '_and we've told Blödhgarm and the others, so you need not worry.'_

'_Yes, this is a most wondrous gift indeed, rarely bestowed upon the Riders of old, much less two at the same time!'_ Umaroth added.

'_Wait… you knew about this, Umaroth-elda?'_ Eragon asked.

'_Of course! My Rider underwent the same change so that we may be… together,'_ Umaroth replied. Suddenly turning serious, he continued. '_This is obviously no coincidence; you both possess the ancient power known as Skulblakaven, or Dragon Sight, which will point you to your fate and inheritance more often than if you stayed on your own path.'_

'_So… we're not the first to become… this, Umaroth-elda?'_ Keyno asked.

'_Return to the Talita, young ones; we will resume our conversation there,'_ Glaedr ordered.

'_Yes, Glaedr-elda,'_ the four dragons chorused as the connection was cut.

From there, they took flight and made their return hasty so they could find out what they needed to know about this from the Eldunarí. On the way back, Eragon had finally accepted that he could permanently be a dragon, as did Keyno, both with the help of their former mounts. When they landed, they noticed that the ship had docked on a beach and the elves were all gone. Probably for the better, the decided. With that, they once again made contact with the Eldunarí, who told them everything about Skulblakaven.

_M_

'_So Dragon Sight gives us the ability to shift forms?'_ Keyno asked, only to receive an overwhelming confirmation from the Eldunarí.

'_And it isn't permanent?'_ Eragon asked hopefully.

'_What's wrong with being a dragon, young Shadeslayer?'_ an Eldunarí asked.

'_Nothing, it's just… I feel out of place,'_ Eragon admitted, getting a comforting nuzzle from Saphira, to which he smiled lightly at.

Keyno sighed at this and asked, '_Is is possible that this could've been… initiated by something? Like an event?'_

'_It has been known to appear in victims of both abuse and trauma who've said that it hasn't always been there, so it is possible that a influential negative event could activate this power,'_ Glaedr explained.

Keyno nodded, satisfied with the answers he had received, as was Eragon, who no longer felt so scared at the prospect of being a dragon, especially since he was comforted by the fact that he would be able to shift back and forth at will given practice.

'_How exactly do we change forms?'_ Eragon asked.

Umaroth rumbled deeply. '_For the day, you will remain a dragon. Before dawn rises tomorrow, your human body will be restored to you. After that, it should become like a second nature to shift forms. As for how to do it in the first place, just focus on an image of yourself in the form of the race you are trying to shift to, but be prepared for the amount of energy it will take to do so.'_

Everything was silent for a moment before Keyno asked Umaroth, '_You and Vrael… together, huh?'_

The dragon gave a mental snort of indigniancy. '_I'm not ashamed to say that Vrael was a handsome dragon indeed.'_

They all shared a chuckle as the four young dragons left to find the elves, not bothering to ask the dragons why they didn't know that Vrael not only had Skulblakaven, but was also a shapeshifter, for they knew the answer to the question, and answer all of them had heard many times over.

"There is much you don't know, young ones."

_M_

Only two weeks in had Eragon given into his newfound emotions regarding Saphira. The exchange prior to their union was abrupt, but given their history together, Keyno would understand why they didn't focus on the intricacies of a relationship _before _bonding together for life. At least he had the confidence that Keyno didn't. Now, Eragon _preferred_ his dragon form over his human form, and even while in it, the Gedwëy ignasia still shone bright on the padded underside of his right forepaw, as it did with Keyno while in _his_ dragon form.

It pained him to see Eragon and Saphira so happy together, though. While he was glad for his two friends, he lacked the confidence to tell Juviel about his own emerging feeling towards her; no longer did he see her as his dragon, friend, or even family. He was falling in love with her. He first discovered this around the same time Eragon found out he too was falling for his dragoness, which was just before the Kingkiller made his advancement a few days ago. Keyno Istalríreona, however, consulted Eragon, the Eldunarí, even the elves, and they all told him to just dive off the deep end, so to speak. Even with all their encouragement, however, he couldn't bring himself to do it. As such, he remained in his human form most of the time so that his draconic instincts didn't take over whenever he was near Juviel. It almost happened once, and once was one too many times in his book. He remembered how his eyes glazed over, and how close he was to just taking her right on the deck of the Taltia, but he refrained and afterwards flew far away, where he shifted back into his human form and made a promise never to be in his dragon form around Juviel lest he give into his desire for her. He knew that she would have no objections, as she often initiated the conversations regarding their relationship in the past, but he didn't want to make her break her oath to him to never take on a mate, so he held his peace.

Until the day two mischievous dragons decided to break the ice between them.

'_Ah… this is the life,'_ Eragon sighed.

'_You can say that again,'_ Keyno agreed.

Currently, they were both in their dragon forms sunbathing aboard the Taltia while Saphira and Juviel were out hunting, taking time to themselves to relax until the females returned.

'_Keyno?'_ Eragon asked.

'_Hmm?'_ Keyno opened his blue eyes and turned to Eragon.

Said dragon in question gave him a sly grin and asked, '_When are you going to pop the question?'_

'_Ugh… not this again…'_ Keyno groaned. With a sigh, he got up and changed back to his human form. He then picked up the sound of wings beating in the air with his increased sense of hearing. '_Hey, they're coming back,'_ he told Eragon.

'_Good. Now how about answering that question?'_ Eragon laughed.

'_I am not answering that question, Eragon,'_ Keyno said firmly. 'Not_.'_

'_It's only a question, Keyno; what harm can it do to answer it?'_

'_A lot, actually,'_ Keyno retorted. '_If I go to her with my feelings, then I'm jeopardizing our current bond, which is almost all I have.'_

Eragon sensed his inner turmoil and rolled over onto his stomach, now regarding Keyno with a serious look. '_If you don't speak to her about your feelings soon, you'll bottle them up forever, and that will make you an angry person.'_

'_What's so bad about that?'_ Keyno challenged. '_Sometimes I _like _being angry.'_

'_That's what I'm talking about; the Keyno I knew wouldn't have submitted to his feelings without so much as a fight when the feelings were negative in nature, like anger.'_

'_Anger doesn't have to be bad in nature,'_ Keyno shot back as Saphira and Juviel came into view.

'_Hello, you two,'_ Juviel quipped.

'_I brought you lunch, my love,'_ Saphira told Eragon, walking up to him and setting a deer in front of him.

Eragon smiled and licked her cheek affectionately. '_Thank you, my mate.'_

'_You're most welcome,'_ Saphira replied.

Both Keyno and Juviel watched on in wistfulness, wishing that it was them in that position and not Eragon and Saphira. Of course, neither of them let that out of a private corner in their minds, so it went unnoticed by the other.

Keyno forced his feelings down and turned to Juviel. '_What, nothing for me?'_ he asked teasingly.

'_Get it yourself, you bum,'_ Juviel growled playfully. '_Besides, I didn't find anything worth eating, so you'll have to go out and look for yourself if you want a meal.'_

'_Alright, I will,'_ Keyno said with conviction, grabbing his scythe and jumping onto the sandy bank the Taltia was resting on, before walking into the forest. What he _didn't _know was that a certain crimson dragoness was watching after him longingly, which didn't escape the notice of a certain pair of blue dragons.

'_I worry for them, Saphira,'_ Eragon told his partner, looking at how Juviel hung her head as soon as Keyno was out of sight.

'_As do I, my love,'_ Saphira replied. '_Why can't he tell her?'_

'_He's afraid of endangering his existing bond with her,'_ Eragon said. '_I pity him. She would make a fine mate for him; they fit each other perfectly.'_

'_That they do,'_ Saphira agreed.

They sat in silence for a moment while Eragon dined on his midday meal, occasionally leaning over to lick Saphira on the cheek in thanks. Eventually, that silence was broken again.

'_I got it!'_ Saphira exclaimed happily.

Eragon crunched a bone in his mouth. '_Got what?'_

'_The secret to get them together!'_

Eragon perked up and swallowed the last of his deer, cleaning the blood off his snout. '_What is it?'_ he asked eagerly.

'_We stage a date for them!'_ Saphira told him.

Eragon lit up with joy. '_I'm humbled by your intellect, Saphira. I love you.'_

'_And I you, my dear little one,'_ Saphira said, nuzzling her mate as he did the same. When she pulled away, she said, '_Let's start planning.'_

_M_

"Dammit!" Keyno cursed as he missed his mark yet again, making the doe he was targeting run off into the woods, never to be seen by him again. A shame; it would've made more than a morsel. He sighed and called his scythe back to him.

What was going on with him today? He never misses a target, yet that's the fourth deer he managed to scare off! Could it be that he was distracted? Realizing that it was stupid question, he groaned; he was indeed distracted, not by something, but by someone.

Juviel.

He threw his scythe in a random direction out of frustration and heard a familiar _thud!_ He furrowed his brow and turned to where he threw his scythe to see that he had lopped the head off a fat-looking buck. It looked awfully good from where he was sitting. But it was so fat; he couldn't eat all of it by himself. Perhaps he could take it back to the ship for Juviel, given her voracious appetite. He smiled at the prospect and shouldered the deer, looking out for anymore he happened to find on the way so he himself could eat something. Unfortunately, nothing caught his eye on the way back. It didn't matter to him, though; as long as Juviel was cozy and happy, his own comfort was irrelevant.

'_Juv!'_ he called out.

He heard her grumble something about interrupting a midday nap before calling back, '_What?'_

'_I have something for you,'_ he replied.

Her head appeared over the railings, and her eyes went wide at the large buck he captured. She furrowed her brow and asked, '_Why are you showing me your catch?'_

'_I wanted to see if it was good for you,'_ Keyno replied. '_After all, it's not for me.'_

Juviel's eyes shone with barely-restrained happiness, before she realized a problem. '_How are you going to go about getting that fat thing up here?'_

'_Can you ask Eragon for help?'_ Keyno asked.

'_Why can't _I _help you?'_ Juviel protested. '_After all, it's my meal; only right I pay you back for getting me lunch.'_ She paused for a second. '_What about you?'_

'_I snagged something on the way back,'_ he lied.

Juviel's eyes narrowed in suspicious, but she followed through anyways and turned her head to Eragon. Moments later, the blue dragon was carrying both him and the buck up to the deck, where he set it in front of Juviel.

'_It's even bigger up close,'_ she observed, licking her chops.

Keyno snorted. '_That's what she said…'_ he joked.

Juviel only glared at him in response to the dirty joke, but afterwards dug into the buck with fervor, splattering blood all over her muzzle. Keyno was glad that he could please her with the buck, but soon found himself wandering from just the buck… and into dirtier fantasies.

'_Keyno?'_ Juviel asked, snapping him from his thoughts. She looked at him in concern and asked, '_Are you alright? You seem a bit… unfocused.'_

'_Just peachy!'_ Keyno responded a bit too quickly.

Juviel growled her worry. '_You know you can talk to me about anything, right?'_

'_I know,'_ Keyno replied, nodding. There was an awkward silence between them before he said, '_I think I'm going to take a walk through the woods for a bit.'_

'_Alright, just… please be careful,'_ Juviel said, sounding worried.

'_I will,'_ Keyno assured her. '_I promise.'_

With that, he jumped off the side of the Taltia and began to walk away and into the forest, leaving Juviel to her own devices.

She huffed and set her head down with a scowl. '_Be careful… what were you thinking, Juviel?'_ she scolded herself. '_What else can I do to get him to notice me? I've tried rubbing against him, but that only led to him no longer taking dragon form around me. I've tried hunting for him, but that just offended him and his hunting prowess. I mean… he _is _a rather good hunter, even if it's with a weapon no regular hunter would chose…. But Keyno's no regular _anything_, not even a Rider. He's _my _Rider. He's not just regular in my eyes. In fact, he's anything _but _regular; even Saphira was never showered in as much love by Eragon as I was by Keyno. He deserves more than me….'_

'_I don't ever want to hear you say that again,'_ a voice said to her sternly, making her jump with a yelp. Turning, she was met by Saphira, who looked pretty disturbed. '_You two deserve each other more than you realize,'_ she added. '_Besides, you two are so alike I daresay that you two are the same soul split in two, one belonging to a dragon while the other belongs to a hybrid.'_

'_D-did you hear anything…?'_ Juviel asked nervously.

Saphira lost her serious expression and grinned. '_Every word.' _Her expression took on a more gentle appearance as she continued. '_Why don't you tell him how you feel?'_

'_Why? Do you know what he'd think of me if I asked that of him?'_ Juviel asked. '_He'd probably renounce me as his dragon and… and….'_

'_Why do you think he'll do that?'_ Saphira asked.

'_I'm his dragon, and he's my Rider!'_ Juviel exhasperated.

Saphira snorted. '_Didn't you just tell yourself that he's no ordinary Rider? Besides, you see how it's going with Eragon and myself. He's the best mate I could've asked for; I could only imagine what Keyno would do for you if you two joined.'_

'_I know, but… I'm so… unsure of myself in this area. Besides, I made a vow to never take on a mate.'_

'_A vow,'_ Saphira snorted. '_What exactly did you vow?'_

'_I promised him that I would never join myself with another dragon so that we don't drive ourselves away from each other or forget our duties as Dragon Riders,'_ Juviel explained, '_and he promised the same thing to me.'_

'_But if you two were to take on _each other _as mates, then your bond will become even stronger! And our duty is what you make it; is it not our duty to bring our own hatchlings into this world so that our legacy may live on?'_

'_Well it is, but I think -'_

'_So then why do you deny it so? Haven't you ever wanted hatchlings?'_ Saphira asked.

Juviel looked down at the wooden planks of the Taltia's deck. '_I have.'_

'_Haven't you ever wanted to mate a male, grow old together, and experience all the pleasures of a romantic relationship?'_

'_I have.'_ At this, Juviel's eyes became wistful like earlier.

'_Then just tell him how you feel!'_ Saphira pushed. '_Tonight, at dusk, I want you to tell Keyno exactly how you feel. You don't have to mate him on the spot, but I think you should still mate him tonight. That's how Eragon and I first made love; under the watch of the stars and the moon, bathed in silvery light.'_

Juviel nodded and smiled a little. '_Thank you, Saphira… for everything.'_

'_It's my pleasure, Juviel,'_ Saphira replied before jokingly adding, '_A whole year later, and I'm _still _teaching you how to be a dragoness….'_

'_If it wasn't your pleasure, you wouldn't be teaching me,'_ Juviel retorted with a smile.

And with that, the two settled down on their bellies and began to talk about random topics before Saphira helped Juviel get ready for the coming dusk.

_M_

'_REALLY, ERAGON?!' _Keyno roared into the forest.

After he had left the Taltia, Eragon managed to catch up with him to talk, as he said that while he loved Saphira, he needed his space as well. Keyno suspected something was going on, but didn't push the matter and let it drop, opting to take dragon form as he and Eragon padded along the forest floor. Of course, being Eragon, the azure dragon started to pelt him with berried he'd been covertly snatching from bushes, leaving Keyno's brilliant orange/blue hide splattered purple, red, and black.

'_You let your guard down!'_ Eragon laughed as he took off.

'_THAT'S IT!'_ Keyno yelled as he followed hot in pursuit.

In the sky, Eragon had initiated a session of play-fighting, twisting and turning in the air while dodging every swipe of Keyno's claws, answering back with some of his own, though none ever hit their mark. Eventually, they came into the view of a river, which they dove into and wrestled there, occasionally resurfacing for breath before being dunked by the other. Thankfully for his dignity, the roughplay had cleansed Keyno's scales of the berries' juices and left his hide sparkling in the sunlight. After a mutual agreement, they both swam for land, flopping on their backs while taking heaving breaths.

'_That was fun…'_ Eragon panted.

'_Yeah… yeah it kinda was…' _Keyno answered, also taking gulping breaths.

They sat in silence for a while, only watching the clouds pass by over them as the sun's rays dried them off, though they felt a certain chill in the air, alerting them to the approaching winter. However, Eragon was easily able to distract himself from this by teasing Keyno about Juviel.

'_You know, you look quite dashing for a male,'_ Eragon remarked, turning to Keyno with a devious smile. '_Dashing enough to win the heart of any female you wish… including Juviel.'_

'_Don't go there, Eragon,'_ Keyno growled.

'_Why not?'_ Eragon shot back playfully. '_After all, it's painfully obvious to everyone but her that you enjoy her presence as more than a friend.'_

'_And you went there anyways…'_ Keyno grumbled.

Eragon's eyes were full of curiosity. '_Why do you reject your feelings for her?'_

'_Because she's my dragon!'_ Keyno exclaimed, rolling over so that he was on his belly.

'_That didn't stop me,'_ Eragon pointed out. '_I discovered my feelings exactly at the same time as you, and yet I'm the only one out of us who's acted upon them. Does loving my dragon romantically make me disgusting?'_

'_No, but -'_

'_Is loving the only one who understands you wrong in any way?'_

'_Not at all, but I -'_

'_Is being in love with your destined soulmate, no matter what spe -'_

'_Eragon, listen to me!'_ Keyno said, cutting Eragon off. '_Her and I made vows to each other never to take on mates!'_

'_Not even yourselves?'_ Eragon asked.

'_So that we could focus on only each other and not have to worry about significant others and so that we can carry out our responsibilities as Rider and Dragon,'_ he elaborated. '_We promised each other this for the greater good… even if it means we can't mate each other….'_

Now Eragon truly did pity Keyno; he knew his friend to be a man of honor, bound by whatever oaths, vows, promises, whathaveyou, and to carry them out no matter what. He thought that breaking his oath to Juviel would be like betraying himself. If only Eragon could make him see….

'_Keyno… we can't keep all of our promises,'_ Eragon told him. '_Not even I can uphold all of my oaths.'_

'_Well I can certainly try!' _Keyno claimed.

'_But haven't you ever wanted a family to call your own?'_ Eragon asked, turning to look at the sky. '_Gods know I have….'_

Keyno sighed. '_I mean… I've entertained the prospect of fathering children of my own, and thinking about it now… it seems… appealing… especially if it's with Juviel….'_

Now Eragon turned as well and lay on his stomach. '_Keyno, I know you to be a man of your word, but also a man of heart. There comes a time when men like you have to choose a path, and that time for you is now. Do you follow your heart and live happily with Juviel, or do you keep your word and focus only on restoring the Order, watching the dragon race once again rise and flourish?'_

To this, Keyno was silent.

'_I know we've been through rough times, and that we've experienced any losses… even now we struggle to find a place to rebuild the Riders. But I can say with the utmost confidence that I am willing to go through all that again as long as I get to stay with Saphira.'_

Keyno only closed his eyes and lowered his head, knowing that he would do the same and more for Juviel as long as she was safe and happy. '_I… I don't know what to do anymore, Eragon….'_

'_Tell her how you feel,'_ Eragon said.

Keyno sat for a moment before sighing, '_Fine.'_

'_But not right now; we have to make you presentable in time for dusk,'_ Eragon told him, pointing out their now sandy scales.

'_Why dusk?'_ Keyno asked.

'_So that it sets a romantic scene; then, you can ask her to be your mate before actually mating her under the stars. That's how Saphira and I did it. Gods, that's still the best afterglow I've had…'_ he muttered dreamily.

'_Okaaay…'_ Keyno said awkwardly.

After that, both of them focused on getting Keyno ready for the setting of the sun.

_M_

'_Alright, Saphira…'_ Juviel said, stepping out from behind the tree, '_how do I look?'_

Both of them had spent most of the time polishing and shining her scales so that they compared to the beauty of rubies sparkling on her hide. Her wings were tucked neatly on her back, and she had the elves make a special perfume of Keyno's favorite scent: lavender.

Saphira smiled and said, '_I daresay you're even more beautiful than I am.'_

Juviel smiled gratefully at the compliment; Saphira, she knew, was a very prideful dragon, and to admit that her beauty surpassed her own made her spirits soar high. '_Thanks for all your help, Saphira.'_

'_Not a problem. Now let's go; the sun is already setting.'_

Juviel cursed as she realized that Saphira spoke the truth. They had to get going if she was going to make it to the designated clearing in time. Both she and the sapphire dragoness bounded into the woods with the elves calling wishes of well luck after them. Juviel smiled and thanked them all as she and Saphira ran to get to the clearing in time.

Running gave her time to ponder over what was about to transpire between her and Keyno. Tonight, if he accepted her advances, she would become bonded to the partner-of-her-heart-and-mind and accept a fate that seemed more like a dream less than twenty-four hours ago. And yet here she was; bounding through the forest as if in the midst of Dagshelgr, running to be on time for her mate-to-be. While the idea of her Rider becoming something more excited her, it set her nerves on fire and made her anxious. What if he said no? What would she do then? Would she be forced to live with the awkwardness of loving her Rider, or would he disown her like she feared he would? Was that even possible?

'_No… no, he wouldn't do that to me…'_ she thought.

She remembered everything he'd ever done for her; from caring for her while still barely bigger than a housecat during the Battle of Farthen Dûr, to tending to her wounds after the fight with Galbatorix, and even as far as teasing her about mating Shruikan, something she wouldn't have considered even if the blossoming feelings of love and passion for her Rider weren't there. She knew that he loved her, though the context in which he did so was debatable as of late; as she thought back on it, she noticed that Keyno sometimes appeared very hot and flustered while in her presence, and remembering that day back on the Talita, where she'd been rubbing against him… she knew about his battle with his instincts; she watched as his eyes glazed over with something she couldn't identify until now. Lust. Lust for her at that moment, to take her right there even with everyone watching. Now that she thought about it, she still felt bad about teasing him like that, but for an entirely different reason than before; she felt bad for tempting him when he was already trying to hold back with himself.

Then she thought back on how she tried to hunt for him. Ever since she was younger, it had always been Keyno doing the hunting, but since he was feeling a bit under the weather that day, she thought she'd surprise him with lunch. Little did she know that all he needed was a good hunt that day, a hunt that she'd taken away from him. Understandably, he got a bit offended and left the boat in a huff, leaving her feeling bad about the situation. Thankfully, she and him made up later that day, and things went on as normal. At least… as normal as it could get for loving her Rider.

'_Juviel, watch out!'_ Saphira cried from behind her.

It took the crimson dragoness a few moments to realize that she'd left Saphira on the edge of the clearing she was now running through, but when she did, she collided with someone else and fell to the ground.

_M_

'_How do I look to you, Eragon?'_ Keyno asked.

Eragon had been helping him clean his scales of sand and residual berry essence, along with making his fiery scales stand out, bringing out the blue tips of them with a little magic, giving him the appearance of a lantern while in the light. His rippling blue wings were delicately folded atop his back, though not in a way that made their sheen and majesty unnoticeable. Eragon had even managed to take a couple berries and create a special cologne that made him smell of wild berries, Juviel's favorite.

Eragon smiled. '_I might have to watch Saphira more closely than I originally thought,'_ he joked.

Keyno rumbled in amusement and puffed his chest out with pride. He brought his palm up and looked at the Gedwëy ignasia, thinking about how what he was about to admit would complicate his relationship with her. With a huff of resolve, though, he set his paw back down and forgot about the symbol before noticing something in the sky.

'_Uh… Eragon? Shouldn't we be going? It's almost dusk now,'_ he pointed out.

Eragon looked at the sky and cursed under his breath. '_Yes, we should, Istalríreona!' _he exclaimed with a toothy grin, using his honorific name.

Keyno smiled as well and followed Eragon as the blue dragon sprinted into the woods. While running, Keyno took the time to think about a few things regarding his relationship with Juviel, and how much it's changed since she hatched. First, he spoiled her rotten whenever he could, then he was riding her into battle, then he let her go off by herself while fighting and subduing Shruikan before he was saved, and after all that, he let her out of his sight for more than a day for the first time with Shruikan. Of course, he couldn't pass the chance up to tease her about all this, but he knew that she would never break her vow to him. Then again, she had no intentions of taking on a mate then, so why now? What's changed in the past few weeks that would allow her to suddenly break her oath like it meant nothing? _Would_ she? Would she accept him? What if she didn't? Would he fall into depression like Eragon and Saphira before they mated each other?

'_She wouldn't do that… not to me…'_ he thought.

He went over every single moment that's happened since Juviel hatched; the good, the bad, the relaxed, the tense…. They'd been through too much together for her to do that to him. She loved him like her family, and had even talked about accepting him _into_ her family. He never knew that their relationship would come to this.

'_Heads up, Keyno!'_ Eragon shouted.

Keyno looked back to see that he had left Eragon on the side of the clearing he was now in, but when he realized this, he ran into someone else.

'_What the…?'_ he groaned, shaking his head, looking for the source before his eyes landed on none other than Juviel, who smiled sheepishly and met his gaze. '_Juviel?'_ he asked in surprise.

'_H-hi…'_ she squeaked out.

It took them all of five seconds to realize that they had both straightened up before coming here. Keyno's jaw dropped at how breathtakingly beautiful his Juviel looked in the setting sun, while Juviel stood speechless, admiring Keyno's glittering scales. It was a few seconds before either of them regained their composure.

'_U-uh, hey, Juv,'_ Keyno started nervously. '_Y-you look n-nice.'_

'_So do y-you,'_ Juviel stuttered.

Both of them turned their heads around to face their respective assistant, but neither of them were anywhere to be seen. Both of them cursed under their breaths as they turned back to face each other, hearts racing and nerves alight.

'_S-s-so…'_ Keyno said, '_h-how about this weather?' _In a private part of his mind, he cursed, '_Ugh, that sounded so -'_

'_Y-yeah…'_ Juviel replied, cutting him off. '_It-it's pretty crazy….'_

They sat quietly for a few seconds, shuffling their paws nervously, occasionally sneaking glances at one another before Keyno noticed a glow.

'_What's that?'_ he asked.

Juviel looked to where he was and narrowed her eyes at the soft orange glow among the long grass. They both reached out with their minds to see if it was magic, but upon coming up empty, they slowly advanced on the strange glow. They eventually breached the tall grass and saw a white tablecloth with a lit candle in the middle, along with two cooked deer sitting on opposite sides of the cloth. The last thing they noticed was the bottle of red wine next to the candle and the two wine glasses next to the deer. Their eyes went wide when they realized what this was and why Eragon and Saphira had made them meet in this clearing.

This was a date.

Staged as it was, they couldn't stop themselves from smiling before growing nervous once again. With his paws shaking, Keyno moved to the other side of the cloth where one deer lay, while Juviel padded over to the other side. They noticed that the sun had already disappeared behind the trees, leaving the clearing dark save for the candlelit glade where they sat. They both sat on their haunches at the same time as Keyno reached for the wine, his paw trembling as he did so. He uncorked the bottle and poured some red wine in his glass before pouring some in Juviel's, though she let him since he was better suited to do so, what with his opposable thumbs. He put the cork back in before setting the bottle down in its previous place. After he did so, he raised his glass with a shaky paw and held it out towards Juviel, who, having seen others do this sort of thing, grabbed the stem of the glass in her tail and touched the rim of her glass to Keyno's.

'_Cheers…'_ they said at the same time.

As soon as the red liquid touched Juviel's tongue, she almost immediately spit out the bitter drink, but since Keyno had poured it for her, she forced herself to swallow it, cringing as she did so. She heard a chuckle, and looked to see that Keyno was now more relaxed and was regarding her with amusement shining in his blue eyes. Juviel smiled back and also let go of some of her tension as she set her glass down and started to eat her deer.

'_What's wrong, don't like wine?'_ Keyno teased.

Juviel just snorted indignantly.

'_You sure liked the dwarves' mead,'_ he remarked, remembering back when they visited Farthen Dûr before they set out for their journey, and how hilariously drunk she got.

'_That was different,'_ Juviel retorted. '_Mead is sweet. This is… more harsh on the tongue.'_

Keyno chuckled. '_It's an acquired taste,'_ he said, taking another sip of his wine, '_one you develop when drinking for a long time.'_

'_Since when do you drink?'_ Juviel questioned with a smile.

'_Since I was ten, my father always let me have a taste of wine, beer, mead, and other brews traders came in with when we used to live in Carvahall. And you should've seen the selection in Ellesmera! They had almost everything!'_

Juviel giggled. '_Speak for yourself, but I'd rather stick with water, thank you very much.'_

They talked until the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared from the sky, leaving the candlelight to illuminate their dinner along with the pearly moonlight, even after they had finished their deer. Eventually, Juviel got used to the wine and partook in a drinking game with Keyno, though no matter how much alcohol they consumed, their senses never dulled like they would've if they had become intoxicated. Instead, it kind of made everything glow and sharpened their senses rather than making them muddled. After a reasonably long silence, however, they became aware of the elephant in the metaphorical room.

Since Keyno was always the first to speak up whenever there was a sore spot, he asked, '_You know I love you, right?'_

'_Of course I do, Keyno; you're my Rider,'_ Juviel replied.

That was exactly the answer Keyno didn't want to hear; by defining her love for him as a dragon/Rider bond, she unknowingly declined his offer before he had even spoke of it. He flinched and set his now empty wine glass down. Juviel cursed herself; she hadn't meant to say that last part, but she wanted to break it slowly. By telling him of her love for him as a Rider, she could more easily tell him of her evolving feelings for him, but now she'd gone and ruined that.

Keyno nodded. '_I see….'_

With that, he stood up and began to walk out of the glade. Juviel was frozen in place for a few seconds, but regained control of her body when he reached the edge.

'_Keyno, wait!'_

She bounded over the cloth and leapt for him, accidently knocking both of them over in the process, but the long grass shielded their fall, so it wasn't anything other than very awkward. Why, you may ask? Because the way they landed was quite suggestive in the sense that their hips and bellies were mashed up against each other. Both of them blushed pure red as Keyno wriggled under her, but what he didn't know was that the movement of his hips against her excited her in a way she never thought possible. Her nerves were on fire, and she could barely move as her eyes became half-lidden. Without a second thought, she began to grind her hips against his.

'_J-Juviel?'_ Keyno questioned nervously.

The only response he received was a lecherous lick from the nape of his neck to the base of his skull, stimulating him in ways he never thought possible. He inhaled sharply and shuddered with pleasure as she licked his neck again.

'_J-Juviel, what are you… gah!'_ he moaned as her tongue ran over a sensitive spot on his neck. Noticing his increased response, she licked the spot again, only to get another moan as Keyno arched his back. This time, Juviel bothered to respond.

'_Keyno, you have no idea how bad I want you right now… I wanted to ease you into the thought of becoming mates, but I just can't contain myself around you anymore. I don't _want _to contain myself around you…'_ she breathed lustfully as she once again licked the sensitive area on his neck, enticing a groan. '_You're just so loving and caring towards me, I can't think of myself with anyone else. I love you, Keyno Istalríreona… and I want you as my mate….'_ She pulled back with a hint of nervousness in her eyes after her ultimatum. '_Th-that is… if you'll have me….'_

Keyno's eyes softened as he met Juviel's own scarlet orbs. He smiled and craned his neck up so that he could lick her cheek, which was exactly what he proceeded to do, leaving Juviel's jaw practically on the ground. '_I wouldn't have anyone else,'_ he whispered. '_Ever since I was changed, my feelings for you have grown exponentially. At first, I didn't know what was going on with me, but when I found out, I was scared… scared of what you would think of me if I came to you with my feelings.'_

Above him, Juviel's eyes filled with tears as she listened to the words she waited so long to hear from Keyno.

'_I love you as well, Juviel Blödskular. Nothing will ever change that… my mate.'_

Juviel let out a sob of joy and wrapped her forepaws around his neck, hugging him closely, needing to feel his body against her as she cried tears of happiness. Keyno ran his paws up and down her flank soothingly as her tears dampened the scales of his chest and neck, but he didn't mind.

Juviel sniffled and lifted her head up to look him in the eye. '_There's still one more thing we need to do before you can call me that,' _she said, her voice taking on a lustful yet gentle tone.

'_There is indeed,'_ Keyno agreed as Juviel shifted her weight so that she was on her side, while Keyno's body leaned on hers.

Being no ordinary dragon, Juviel thought she should do something different with Keyno because of his human origins. She had seen what humans do to get each other ready to mate, and while it would be easy for her, she knew it would mean a lot to Keyno.

She started off with another lick to his sensitive neck as she rubbed his crotch with her left foot, making him growl from the double-assault on him. He arched his back and bared his teeth, his eyes clenched shut as she played with his slit, toying with the edges a bit with her toes, enticing a near-instant response. She looked down as she saw his large, thick member emerge from its hiding place, appearing a very angry red as she rubbed the side of her toe along the shaft, along with a few of its ridges to mix things up a bit. Keyno arched his back and let out a loud moan in response to her ministrations.

'_D-does it feel good…?'_ Juviel asked nervously.

'_Oh gods yes… yes, Juviel… please… keep going…'_ Keyno moaned needily.

Juviel smiled knowing that she brought him immense pleasure and proceeded to use the pads of her feet to get him off, rubbing them up and down his cock as she licked his face. Keyno clawed at the ground and arched his back as her soft soles expertly worked his ridged maleness, focusing more on the ridges than the shaft itself, since that's where a dragon is most sensitive. Doing so made him let loose a loud roar as she slowly yet skillfully stroked his length with her feet. Perhaps it was a talent. He clenched his hands tight as she tortured him, the ecstacy agonizingly blissful, while she started to nip at his neck and shoulder, at the same time running over a particularly delicate ridge on his long shaft, Keyno no longer holding back from voicing his immense pleasure, roaring and keening as her claws lightly touched the skin.

He snapped his eyes open at this. Juviel slowed her pace, knowing that what she did was a complete leap of faith; by allowing her to continue rubbing her claws over his fragile piece of flesh and muscle, Keyno would be putting his complete trust in her. She waited for the moment in which he would tell her to stop, but that moment never came. Instead came a soft growl of reassurance, letting her know that it was alright to do what she just did, though the growl was shaky because he was panting so heavily. With only a second of hesitation, Juviel continued with her footjob, this time adding in her claws wherever she saw fit, making him writhe in pleasured anguish.

'_J… Juh… Juvi… JUVIEL!'_ Keyno roared as he bucked his hips against her feet.

Juviel felt his pleasure rebound across their link, making her sigh and loll her head into the crook of his neck while still working his member. She felt Keyno's dragonhood swell up as the base started growing a little the more she went on, until it formed the knot that would tie her to him when they mated for real. Just the thought of it made her let out a cute little moan as she teased her Rider. Keyno roared her name once again as he reached his peak, hot white seed pumping from his cock in ropes of thick, creamy essence that landed all over Juviel's feet and lower legs.

Keyno went limp as soon as the last strand of his life-giving seed had spurted weakly from his still-hard member, his chest rising and falling rapidly with each gulping intake of breath he took as Juviel licked his neck again, her vent now dripping in anticipation. She moved to get on top of him and ride him until he once again reached climax, but Keyno pinned her down weakly with his arm.

'_Not yet, Juv…' _he panted. '_I want to return the favor….'_

Juviel squirmed and mewled in excitement at how lewd his words were as he slowly made his way down to her feet. It took a bit of effort on his part, but since this was for his beautiful Juviel, he gathered what strength he could and stood at sort of a kneel so that his maw was positioned above her sperm-coated feet, his hands grabbing her legs and holding them up.

'_My my, a female as grand as yourself should _never _be this dirty,'_ Keyno huffed dramatically. He grinned lustfully and growled, '_What say we fix that?'_

Juviel had never nodded so fast in her entire life. Keyno closed his eyes and swiped his tongue across the soles of her seed-splattered hind paws, making her let out an adorable whimper of pleasure at the attention her delicate pads were receiving. Keyno had gathered a fair bit of his spunk as he licked her feet again, but instead of simply spitting it out, he swallowed it, gulping down his own semen as he cleaned off her feet. At the lewd sight, Juviel started panting and dripping even more before Keyno came back for seconds. As he cleaned her feet, Juviel went from panting, to letting out subtle huffs of pleasure, to moaning ever-so-slightly as Keyno worked his tongue over her pads, in between her individual toes, and up her calves. The farther up her leg he moved up, the louder Juviel moaned, until Keyno could actually hear the erotic noises, which caused him to smirk and move his maw to her entrance. Juviel whined when his tongue broke contact with her skin, but when she saw his head in between her legs, she shut up immediately and watched intently as Keyno's tongue snuck out of his muzzle and ran his tongue across the edge of her soaking vent, her juices running down either sides of her tail. She let out another petty moan, but she kept her eyes open as she watched Keyno lap up her juices and teasing the rim of her tail hole, making her recently-cleaned toes curl while he positioned himself in from of her slit.

Then his tongue entered her.

Juviel gasped and arched her back as his long, prehensile appendage passed her lips and into her vulva, her eyes going wide at the amazing feeling as he began to eat her out with surprising skill. She moaned loudly and squirmed as Keyno held her legs in his iron grip, making her unable to move away no matter how much her body twitched and writhed under him. She moaned in ecstasy as Keyno's tongue wriggled its way deeper in her cavity, clawing at the ground as he masterfully pleasured her with his tongue. Given that he was pleasuring his bonded partner, the utter euphoria she was feeling echoed to his mind, making him purr, which only added to the pleasure Juviel was feeling.

Her wings twitched as Keyno delved deeper and deeper into her sopping vent, swallowing every bit of her sweet-tasting fluids that he could. She moaned and wriggled her top half, her tail wagging behind Keyno in response to the pleasure. Eventually, however, Juviel winced in slight pain as Keyno dove _too _deep and pushed the tip of his tongue against her virgin barrier. Keyno, realizing that he slipped up, retracted his tongue back and bunched it up a bit outside so that it pressed against her clit. This returned Juviel to a lust-addled state of bliss as the neglected nub received the attention it had been deprived of for a full few minutes.

'_Gods above, Keyno…'_ Juviel moaned, '_that tongue of yours is _magical… _ah!'_

Keyno smirked and pressed his tongue into her walls, trying to find her g-spot as he started twisting his head at different angles, adding variety to the already-amazing oral. While he knew that she was familiar with her own body and that he could simply look into her memories to see what pleased her best, he decided not to do that and find out for himself to make this a lot more intimate. Eventually, his tongue ran over a spot that was different in texture from the surrounding area, and he deduced that he had found her pleasure-center. How did he know? He watched as she arched her back and yowled, her immense pleasure travelling over the link and washing over Keyno, making him growl and focus his efforts on that little spot as he took one of his hands off her leg and moved it to the edge of her tail hole, teasing it as he stimulated her incredibly sensitive g-spot. Her eyes rolled back into her head in response to the overstimulation as she cried out, her orgasm taking her by storm while she screamed his name to the moonlit heavens.

Keyno pulled back as her climax hit his muzzle full-force, a clear, sticky liquid spurting forth from within her, making him have to close his eyes as a few drops of it splattered on his face. He withdrew his tongue and licked up what he could as he let go of her leg, after which Juviel simply lay there with her legs spread apart, her crotch completely and thoroughly soaked, too weak to do anything but pant and lie there on the ground while Keyno cleaned his muzzle and face of her essence with his formidable tongue. He then collapsed to the ground beside her panting as well, the sheer force of her orgasm across their link leaving him a bit winded.

'_Did you like that?'_ he asked her softly.

'_Gods, that was… amazing, Keyno!'_ Juviel exclaimed through her heavy breathing.

Keyno chuckled and licked the side of her face lovingly. She leaned into his touch and purred as she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Keyno, knowing he had taken much more out of Juviel than she did him, let her rest and catch her breath for a while, though the anticipation of what was to come left his malehood hardened and throbbing, still secreting pre from the tip despite his powerful orgasm only minutes prior. Juviel opened her eyes and looked down at Keyno's twitching cock, now nervous because of how big it appeared to her. Keyno, sensing her distress, gently grabbed her lower jaw and brought it up so that he could look into her dazzling eyes.

He smiled and said, '_Take your time; if you're not ready, you're not ready.'_

'_Thank you, Keyno…'_ Juviel panted out.

'_Thank _you_, for having me as your mate,'_ Keyno replied. '_Besides, you deserve a break.'_

Juviel said nothing and weakly nuzzled the crook of his neck, both of them purring from the intimate contact, even though it was nowhere near as intimate as what they just did. Nevertheless, they cuddled as Juviel was allowed to relax and prepare herself for mating. Because she wanted this to be a pleasurable experience for both of them, she wanted Keyno to be as satisfied as her, since her pleasure was dependent on his, so she asked him questions to pass the time.

'_How do you want to do it?'_ she asked.

Keyno smiled again and licked her cheek, making her croon softly. '_Any way _you _want to do it.'_

'_I want to do it how _you _want to do it, my love,'_ Juviel replied. '_I want this night to be perfect for both of us; I'll be pleasured knowing that you feel the same way.'_

Keyno thought for a minute before deciding. '_I want you to be in charge.'_

'_You want _me _to take charge?'_ she asked in shock, giving a surprised growl.

'_I want to be able to put my complete trust in you, and what better way to do that than to have you dominate me? I submit to you from now on… my mate. I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are happy, both in life… and while mating. If you desire, I will allow you to explore every single kink you have so long as you are happy, for that is all that matters to me. That's all that's _ever _mattered to me. _You _are all that's ever mattered to me, Juviel. I love you, more than words can describe, more than the number of stars in the night sky, or number of blades of grass on rolling plains, or the number of leaves in Du Weldenvarden, or the number of grains of sand in the Hadarac Desert. If you shall ever so desire, I will fly around the world a million times just to prove my love to you. Ono _eru _iet dunei.'_

You _are_ my love.

Juviel's eyes once again filled with tears as Keyno once again proved to her just how much he loved her and how much he willing to do for her, just to convince her further of his incredible love for her.

'_Oh, Keyno…'_ she started, her voice refusing to respond beyond those two words.

Keyno reached up with his left paw and caressed her cheek, making her let out a hiccupped croon of joy as his thumb ran across her scales. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, closing her legs together as she leaned against him completely. By now, she had caught her breath and was ready for him.

'_Please… please, Keyno…'_ she begged. '_I… I need to feel you inside of me…. I want to feel you against me so bad….'_ She trailed off as she started sobbing in pure elation of having the one she had always loved more than anything as her bonded partner.

'_Are you sure you're ready?'_ Keyno asked.

Juviel nodded and shifted her body against his while brushing the end of her tail over his still-standing erection. He shuddered at the intimate contact as he met Juviel's eyes while she climbed atop him, her soaking vent positioned right above his fleshy spear. He enveloped her mind and sent her waves of comfort as he felt her apprehension at seeing his mighty shaft situated right below her petty entrance.

'_On three?'_ he suggested.

Juviel nodded. '_On three.'_

'_One…'_ Keyno counted as he rubbed her flank in encouragement and assurance. '_Two…'_ It was at that moment that he got an idea that seemed a little silly, but it was worth a try. He saw Juviel preparing herself, squirming with a nervous look on her face and decided it was indeed worth a shot. '_Three!'_

As Juviel sat down all the way down on his ridged maleness, he closed his eyes and shot his head forward, mashing his maw against hers in a very human yet entirely welcome gesture of affection. In layman's terms, he kissed her. Juviel was so shocked she didn't even register the pain of her cherry being popped or how the tip of his cock pressed up against her core. She just sat there for a second with wide eyes before relaxing and closing her eyes as well, oblivious to everything else around her besides Keyno and herself, encaptured by the feelings of love, trust, affection, passion, and loyalty he was sending her, barely feeling Keyno cupping her cheek as their mouths remained locked together. Eventually, they broke the kiss and pulled back, Keyno's cheeks as red as her own.

'_U-uh… sorry, I -'_ he began.

Juviel cut him off with, '_Don't, Keyno. I loved it.'_

Keyno smiled as Juviel took a deep breath and began to try sitting down on his member, only to realize that she had already done so. With a sheepish look and a chuckle from Keyno, she moved up and flinched as the pain of her broken innocence finally made itself known. She endured, however, and brought herself up to the tip, but before she could set herself back down and begin, she felt Keyno panicking.

'_Oh my gods! Juviel, you're bleeding!'_ he cried with wide eyes of worry.

Juviel took in a shuddering breath. '_Don't worry, Keyno… this is supposed to happen…'_ she explained in a shaky voice. She knew this from ancestral memories she received from female Eldunarí over the course of their trip and from Saphira only hours before this all happened.

'_A-are you sure?'_ Keyno asked. '_Do you want to stop?'_

Keyno made to pull out of her, but she stopped him with a lust-filled growl and a fierce snarl as she pushed him back down. Keyno's eyes went wide as Juviel began to explore his neck once again, though this time with much less restraint. She nipped harshly at his neck as she slowly sat back down on his shaft, making Keyno arch his back and clench his fists.

It had begun.

Juviel set a slow pace for them as she left marks on the scales of his neck before reaching his weak spot once again. When she bit there, Keyno's eyes snapped open as she breached the softer scales and drew blood. Eragon had warned him of this, though, and he was ready for it; the only real effect it had on him was a strange pleasure from the pain. Yet because of the intense pleasure, he could barely move his body from its current position, much less reach his head up and mark her in the same way. Juviel, noticing this past her lusted frenzy, got ahold of herself and growled with concern.

'_Are you alright?'_ she asked him she asked in between pants. Keyno nodded. Juviel smiled and licked his face. '_Such a trooper,'_ she giggled.

With that, she resumed her pace and got right back to it, leaning down and licking Keyno's jaw as she gyrated her hips atop him. Keyno growled and moaned as Juviel sped up a bit, which made her let loose a loud shriek of ecstasy as her juices coated Keyno's length, making it all the easier to slide the enormous piece back into her yet somehow adding even more friction. Keyno reached up for something, anything, to grab in his daze of lust, and his paw eventually found Juviel's hindquarters, which made the female yelp and moan as he gave a firm squeeze.

'_Gods, Juvi… Juviel…'_ Keyno gasped as the female rocked her hips into his and picked up the pace again, making him curl his toes and arch his back as he let out a particularly loud moan.

'_K-Ke-Key-no!'_ Juviel managed as she squeezed her eyelids shut and rode him.

She wrapped her tail around his while Keyno managed to reach up and bite down on the softer scales of her neck, marking her as his. Now it was official. They were mates. Juviel cried out in pleasure as the not-pain registered to her, making her speed up and ride Keyno for all she was worth. Keyno growled and set his head back down, only to throw it back and arch his spine again as Juviel sped up. She moaned and keened as she felt something in her loins, like pressure building up. Both of her wings flapped before stretching out to their full glory as her tail thumped against the dirt. She yowled and keened as the head of Keyno's immense member kissed her cervix every time he thrusted into her, rubbing against her g-spot and making her let out the dragon equivalent of screams, neither of them able to form words to voice their pleasure to their partner.

In the middle of all this, Keyno was able to once again embrace her mind as she embraced his. No longer were they Juviel and Keyno, Rider and dragon, or even mates. At that very moment, they were a single soul split into two bodies, locked in the most visceral and intimate embrace two beings could ever experience, feeling each other's pleasure as if it was their own, yet still experiencing their own.

Juviel was brought back down to earth when a sudden and overwhelming orgasm made her shriek to the high heavens in absolute ecstasy, her tight walls clamping down on and convulsing around Keyno's thick shaft. She arched her back and dug her claws into Keyno's shoulder as her eyes rolled back into her head again, her wings spasming erratically as she rode her climax for a good eight seconds, most of which was spent howling her pleasure to the sky. Keyno's member hilted inside of her as she went completely limp, her eyes glazed over while she panted heavily in exhaustion. Keyno smiled and licked her cheek, getting a weak gurgle from her in response.

'_Do you want to continue this another time?'_ he asked.

To his surprise, she shook her head. She looked him dead in his soul and growled, '_I want your seed. I want you to paint my insides completely white.'_

Keyno growled his concern. '_Juviel, you're in no shape to -'_

'_I don't care. I want you,'_ she insisted. She smiled weakly and added, '_I _do _need a few minutes, though….'_

'_Alright… however long you need,'_ Keyno replied, smiling as well.

It took all of five minutes for Juviel to regain control of her body and to calm down completely, but as soon as her eyes regained their former sheen, she demanded that he dominate her instead, which he did without a second thought. Twice more did he drive her over the edge, but neither of them were as powerful as her first nor were they enough to reduce her to a fuck-addled, paralyzed state. However, they both were going at it for the better part of a half-hour before Keyno felt something at the base of his maleness.

'_Ju-Juviel… I-I-I'm….'_

'_Yes, please!'_ Juviel moaned, bucking her hips back against him. '_Please, fill me up!'_

Keyno slowed down. '_A-are you sure?'_ he asked.

Juviel smiled understandingly and licked his cheek. She knew that Keyno would be a bit nervous about marking her with his seed when the possibility of making her gravid and becoming a father was there, and while she carried no apprehension about becoming a mother to Keyno's children, she understood that it was a nerve-wracking situation to become a parent.

'_I'm sure, my love,'_ she assured him. '_As long as it is with you.'_

Keyno smiled and leaned forward to kiss her briefly before resuming his vigorous pace, his member swelling and his knot expanding as his peak built up before his knot entered her with a wet _squelch!_ and locked them together, his seed rushing forth and implanting itself in her womb. While he bucked and jerked on top of her, Juviel reached her own peak, as signaled by her walls once again twitching around his length and her loud, needy cries that topped even Keyno's. Both of them cried out as their own climax's took them, Keyno's rather violently. He twitched and jerked atop her forcefully as he continued to fill her with his seed, just as she had asked. The thing was, she didn't expect him to actually follow through; what she said was out of lust overpowering her rational thinking. He was still spewing his essence as his legs gave out, landing unceremoniously on top of her as her stomach began to bulge. Juviel began to whine in ecstasy as this happened while Keyno finally stopped moving and fell limp, his seemingly endless torrent of seed finally ceasing. Within five seconds, Keyno was asleep. Juviel chuckled to herself and licked the top of his head.

'_Sweet dreams… my mate,'_ she whispered before following his example and passing out with his maleness still locked inside of her.

_M_

Keyno groaned and fluttered his eyelids as he slowly returned to the world of consciousness, loath to open his eyes because of the blinding sunlight that would no doubt assault him. Then again, if he was to open his eyes, he would be greeted with a beautiful sight once the momentary sightlessness faded. With a sigh, he opened his eyes and waited for the sun's rays to leave him unable to see. Yet, he found that it was so early in the morning that the sun hadn't even topped the trees in the clearing.

He looked down to see that Juviel still laid below him, snoring cutely with her eyes set in a peaceful expression of satisfaction and tranquillity. Now _that_ was a sight to behold. Keyno realized that he was no longer locked to her and carefully removed himself from her, careful not to wake her up as he took to the skies to find prey. He searched for a suitable meal for his Juviel for about fifteen minutes before finally managing to snag two fat-looking bucks. When he landed back in the clearing, he was surprised to see that Juviel still sat in the same position he had left her in and had not stirred whatsoever; usually, they woke up within five minutes of each other.

'_I guess I should've gone easier on her,'_ he chuckled to himself as he set both deer down in front of her as he assumed as more relaxed position on his belly with his forepaws stretched out in front of him. He grabbed one of them and began digging in, swallowing everything from flesh to muscles to bone, each of them breaking with a huge _crack!_ as his powerful jaws crushed them. He finished his deer after about five minutes, after which Juviel still had not woken up. Now Keyno was getting worried.

'_Juviel?'_ he asked.

This enticed no reaction from her but a slight jerk of her tail. Satisfied that she was close to waking up, if that twitch was anything to go by, he only smiled and waited patiently for her to rejoin the world of the living. After another five minutes of waiting, Juviel stirred with a cute groan as she shifted her upper body.

'_Ugh… Keyno…?'_ she groaned.

'_Welcome back to the world of the living,'_ he joked with a cheeky smile.

'_I can't feel my legs…'_ she said. Keyno's face fell. She turned to him and added, '_Kidding… they're just sore.' _Keyno breathed a sigh of relief. Juviel sat up slowly and nuzzled his neck, since they were close enough for her to do so, getting a purr in response as his head lolled to the side. '_I can already tell you're going to be a wonderful mate.'_

'_Why, because I worry, or because I got you breakfast?'_ Keyno teased.

'_Both.'_ Juviel smiled and licked his cheek before withdrawing and setting her sights on the deer. Her stomach growled as she licked her chops, reached over and tearing into the carcass without a second thought. About halfway through her meal, she muttered a thank you, only getting a chuckle from Keyno as she devoured the deer in only three minutes, leaving even him surprised.

'_Hungry?'_ he asked her.

'_Famished,'_ she replied. '_Last night took a lot out of me.'_ With a smile, she reluctantly added, '_Though I will admit, that was probably the best night of my life. You were amazing, my love.'_

'_As were you,'_ he said, licking her cheek, '_my mate.'_

Juviel purred as she heard him utter those two words.

'_About damn time,'_ a voice called from overhead.

They both looked to the skies to see both Eragon and Saphira descending into the clearing a few yards away from them, before padding over to meet them, though Saphira walked with a subtle but noticeable limp.

'_What happened to you?'_ Keyno asked, immediately regretting it.

Saphira smiled and turned to Eragon. '_My mate here decided to follow your example and show me a good time.'_

Keyno's face flushed red at what she was not-so-subtly suggesting, before the words that came previous registered in his mind. He shifted his gaze to the ground in embarrassment as Eragon and Saphira laughed loudly. Even Juviel giggled a little before she could stop herself. Keyno growled and muttered something unintelligible under his breath as he waited for the two blue dragons to cease their mirth.

Once they did, Eragon said, '_These are the consequences of not submitting to your instincts, Keyno; dragons are very open about the topic of mating, and since you haven't had much experience in being a dragon as I have, your human mind pushes those thoughts to the side.'_

'_With good reason, Eragon; we still have the Riders to rebuild,'_ he reminded his friend.

'_Be that as it may,'_ Saphira interjected, '_it doesn't mean we can't have some fun while doing so.'_

'_Work before play,'_ Keyno told them.

Juviel huffed and added, '_As much as I agree with you two, I agree with Keyno more.'_

'_Why, because he's your mate now?'_ Saphira teased.

'_No, because he's right,'_ Juviel countered.

She made to get up, but immediately fell back down with her hind legs trembling violently. Keyno saw this and stood up, growling his concern for her. Both Eragon and Saphira also looked on in worry, as their first time hadn't left Saphira so unable that she couldn't stand the morning after.

'_Are you alright?'_ Keyno asked.

'_Do I _look _alright?'_ Juviel snapped.

Keyno did nothing but chuckle. 'There's _that fire I knew still burned inside you; for a second, I thought you'd gone soft.'_

'_It'll be a million years and a thousand lifetimes before I go soft,'_ Juviel growled, attempting, and failing, to get up once again.

Keyno grimaced at the scene. She again tried to force her feeble body to cooperate with her mind, but her legs gave out a third time. However, instead of falling to the ground, she fell atop something a lot softer and more forgiving than the rough dirt. She looked to see orange giving way to blue, and that only meant one thing.

'_Thanks,'_ she told Keyno.

Keyno looked at her with nothing but concern in his eyes, not even in the joking mood right now. Even Eragon and Saphira weren't wisecracking at the moment, which meant this was serious.

'_You're not alright,'_ Keyno stated simply.

'_Indeed, young one,'_ Glaedr's voice said. '_You were too rough for her first time, and it has left her weak. Worry not, young one; she'll be fine in a few hours. But remember this in the future; Juviel is more fragile than Saphira.'_

'_With all due respect, Glaedr-elda, she _did _manage to bring down Shruikan,'_ Eragon pointed out.

'_Because he _let _her; he was fighting the Mad King's power,'_ Umaroth reminded them. '_Have you not noticed in battle how she relies more on grace than strength?'_

'_I thought that was just because her style derived from mine,'_ Keyno said.

'_While this is true, it's also because she hasn't had as much endurance training as Saphira,'_ Glaedr explained. '_For this, I take the blame; I believed that having two dragons with different training styles would be the next best thing to training them both in each style individually, but there was simply not enough time to do so.'_

'_I remember this happening to Vrael once,'_ Umaroth recalled. '_I remember that his lithe body couldn't handle the sheer strength a first mating session required, and he couldn't walk for a whole day.'_

'_A whole day?!'_ Juviel yelled before groaning and rolling off Keyno onto her back beside him on the ground.

'_For you, I daresay your strength will return to you in as little as six hours; Vrael wasn't even able to move anything more than his head, while you were able to get up, if only for a few seconds,'_ Umaroth said. '_This shows that you will undoubtedly recover quicker than he did.'_

Juviel just groaned again as Keyno nuzzled her neck comfortingly. He sighed. '_I'm sorry….'_

'_It's not your fault,'_ Juviel responded.

'_I think it is,'_ Keyno said. '_If I had taken the time to learn about my dragon instincts, I would've known this would happen and could've prevented it.'_

'_Instinct has nothing to do with it, young one,'_ Umaroth said. '_You remember the fact that this happened to me, and I was already fifty years old at the time, well beyond familiar with my instincts. Yet I still ravaged Vrael.'_ He thought for a moment and added slyly, '_To my credit, however, he kept asking for me to go harder.'_

'_Ancestors above, Umaroth!'_ Keyno exclaimed. '_We didn't need to know that!'_

'_It matters not, young ones,'_ Glaedr interrupted. '_Just take care of her in these next few hours, Keyno, and you might just come out of it a sire.'_

'_After the first time?'_ Saphira asked, both surprised and skeptical at once.

'_It has happened on occasion,'_ Glaedr explained. '_In fact, you yourself were conceived when Iormúngr and Vervada first joined together.'_

'_I see…'_ Saphira murmured.

A few parting words and well wishes later, Glaedr and Umaroth left their minds for the time being, though they all wondered one thing, something no one would say until Keyno broke the silence with the question floating in their heads.

'_Does this mean… we're going to be parents?'_ he asked quietly.

Saphira rumbled. '_It is difficult, if not impossible, to tell if a female dragon is gravid before three days have come and gone.'_

'_What will be the signs?'_ Eragon asked.

'_Bloatedness, fatigue, mood swings, and hunger,'_ Juviel replied.

'_You mean you'll eat even _more _if you are gravid?'_ Keyno teased. '_Gods help me… how many deer will I have to catch for you a day? Ten? Twenty?'_

'_Watch it,'_ Juviel growled playfully. '_I mentioned mood swings, and if you're not careful, you could be on the receiving end of a harsh one.'_

'_Like you could bring yourself to harm me,'_ Keyno said smugly. Juviel smacked him upside the head with her tail, enticing a yelp from the fire-colored dragon. '_What was that for?'_ he complained.

'_Oh stop being such a baby; you've suffered worse hits,'_ Juviel chided.

Keyno snapped his head in Eragon's direction when he caught his friend chuckling. '_You think this is funny?'_

Eragon nodded. '_It's good to see I'm not the only one subject to a female's wrath.'_ With that, Eragon received a slap to the back of the head not unlike Keyno only moments earlier.

With that, the four of them finally relaxed and started to bicker playfully amongst each other, none of them noticing the shift in the winds, signalling the coming of winter.

_M_

**Again, not my best writing, but I'm still working on writing quick; this whole oneshot exists in the first place for that sole reason. Hope you enjoyed, and have a good day/night!**


End file.
